Range Rover Evoque
Tech specs
Price range: $47,000-$61,500.
Engines: 2.0-litre four-cylinder turbocharged/2.0-litre four-cylinder turbo/48V mild hybrid.
Transmission/drive: Nine-speed automatic/all-wheel.
Why it matters: The original Evoque was one of the first luxury “cute utes,” and perhaps still the cutest (albeit not the “utest”).
The 2020 second-generation Evoque coming to Canada this spring wisely preserves the look, even though the bodywork, and almost everything else, are new.
Six trim grades offer two versions of a 2.0-litre turbo four-cylinder engine generating 246 or 296 horsepower – the latter configured as a 48V mild hybrid – through a nine-speed automatic transmission.
Despite it keeping the same city-sized exterior dimensions, Evoque’s designers carved out increased cargo space and rear knee-room, while interior furnishings employ innovative materials claimed to be not only a tactile delight but also environmentally virtuous.
Also expect the Evoque to be up-to-date in terms of connectivity, infotainment and driver-assistance technologies.
That said, don’t be fooled by the metrosexual, urban-hipster appearance: This is still a Land Rover product, so high ground clearance, sophisticated AWD, multimode terrain response and even a camera that displays the terrain immediately ahead of the front bumper promise class-leading off-road talents. Not that you would, but you could.
Range Rover Sport SV-R
Like its Jaguar F-Pace cousin, the sporty Range Rover has a pavement-pounding hot-rod version powered by a 575-hp, 5.0-litre supercharged V8. Unlike the Jag, it also has a dual-range transfer case, and air suspension providing up to 10 inches of ground clearance, for extreme off-roading. Pricing starts at $133,000.
Electric and green or high-performance cars and the internal combustion engine, Petrina Gentile and Mark Richardson debate the future of cars at the Canadian International AutoShow in Toronto.
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